Stephen Beech

A key ingredient of cannabis may help treat anxiety and drug addiction, suggests a new study.

Researchers say cannabidiol appears to have effects on emotion and emotional memory - which could be helpful for treating anxiety-related and substance abuse disorders.

A major review highlighted the results of studies that have investigated cannabidiol’s effects on various fear and drug memory processes.

Senior author Doctor Carl Stevenson, of the British Journal of Pharmacology, said: “Cannabis is best known for the ‘high’ caused by the chemical Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, but it contains many other chemicals with potential medicinal properties, including cannabidiol.

“This chemical isn’t linked to the cannabis ‘high’ and is safe for people to use, so it might be helpful for alleviating certain symptoms of these disorders without having unwanted side effects of cannabis.”

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